“ALL WOMEN, ALL PICKLEBALL.”
“Novice to expert, this group is for women worldwide who want to discuss all things pickleball. We’re about sharing information and engaging each other. Please invite your women friends to join us.”
Those words are at the top of the Facebook page “Pickleball Women.” The group has clearly struck a chord with thousands of women.
Pickleball Women is a Facebook group for women only and has 37,500 members.
“It’s popular because no snarkiness, politics, religion or spam is allowed,” says Bonnie Coffey, who founded Pickleball Women in 2020. “I wanted to create a space where we could talk about gear, rules, etiquette, awkward moments, proud moments, and everything in between-without being interrupted, corrected, or judged. It’s all pickleball, but no pickleball related subject is off limits.”
Coffey says the topics most often discussed include paddles, types of pickleballs, shoes and bras. “We discuss rules, especially the ones people enforce incorrectly. There are serious discussions about injuries and illness like cancer. We talk about safety, partner dynamics, and a lot of, ‘Is it just me’ moments. There’s also plenty of humor, encouragement and sometimes even a little venting.”
Kelly Niessen has been a member of Pickleball Women since its inception. The 62-year-old Canadian native living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, told me, “I think being a group member has helped me the most in areas that are challenging. Sometimes it is easy to think that some things only happen to you, then when I hear someone else’s story, it makes me realize that I am not alone. And then the bonus is constructive dialogue ensues about various strategies that women have deployed to meet these challenges.”
Pickleball Women member Nancy Beach of Maui (yes, her last name is Beach and she lives on Maui), says, “Some of the questions, observations, frustrations that women have can vary from the male counterparts. Even the female levity of playing the game with a spouse can be a giggle we all need from time to time. Discussing equipment, clothing and footwear has been helpful, as well as mechanics of the game.”
Coffey says a few men have tried to join the group using a fake account. “Women deserve a place to share, learn and laugh without having to explain themselves or be trolled. Men have plenty of places to talk about pickleball, and perhaps they prefer the trash talk that goes on in some groups.”
Coffey wants women in her group to feel empowered, “whether they’re picking up a paddle for the first time at 65 or over, coming back from an injury, or playing seven times a week. I want women to feel connected and confident, knowing there’s a whole community cheering them on. It’s not just about pickleball, it’s about belonging.”
Coffey and her husband, Ky, are 60-somethings with 4-plus DUPR’s and a lot of miles on their car. They have lived on the road for 10 years and played pickleball in 25 countries and 35 states.
“We use a mix of housing solutions,” Coffey says in an email. “We do a lot of pet sitting around the world, staying in beautiful places in exchange for caring for all kinds of sweet pets. Some homes have even had pickleball courts in the backyard. We give preference to those LOL! We stay in short-term Airbnb rentals, and also do home exchanges. Only very occasionally we stay in hotels. Every now and then we sleep on a ship or an airplane. We try to stay in places long enough to feel like locals, not tourists. We’ve stayed in over 625 places in 10 years - crazy, but so fun for us.”
Bonnie grew up in Houston, a self-described daredevil who enjoyed running, biking, kickball, “and mostly climbing our backyard chinaberry trees.” She she played tennis in high school, “mostly because my best friend did.” After graduating from Texas A & M with a business degree she moved to Silicon Valley and worked as a financial analyst. She later worked in commercial real estate. Ky was an electrical engineer. They also flipped houses and ran a small electronics company for 15 years based in Phoenix, Arizona, where they raised their two children. They began playing pickleball regularly in 2015 in, of all places, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
“I saw a little ad in an expat English newspaper encouraging people to come try out pickleball,” Coffey says. “Some locals and Canadian snowbirds generously taught us the right way to play. Ky and I picked up paddles, learned the game, and we were both instantly hooked. It was a perfect way to bring back my love of racquet sports—without the shin splints I used to get from tennis, squash, and racquetball.”
Regarding her future goals for Pickleball Women, Bonnie says, “I’d love to see the group and the page continue to grow. I’m working in the background to find some women to come on as moderators to help support me and the group. Up to this point, for the last five years, I’ve been running it solo, and it would be fun to get some new fresh ideas and more good content. I’d also love to partner with brands that truly funderstand our audience and want to support women in this sport. But mostly, I want to keep the community strong and supportive, God willing, as it grows—kindness at an even greater scale, if you will.”
Thoughts of the week, not all pickleball
· If you’re a Billy Joel fan, the documentary streaming on HBO Max, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, is a must-watch. The four-hour, two-part doc is a deep exploration into Joel’s life. He talks candidly about his struggles with alcohol, his four marriages, his strained relationship with his father and, in a particularly poignant segment, how as a Jewish person the Holocaust affected him, his dad and his grandparents.
· I periodically watch any movie I haven’t seen that is generally listed in the top 100 films of the 20th century. This week I finally watched Sunset Boulevard. I now know why the film directed by the great Billy Wilder (Some Like it Hot, The Apartment) is frequently ranked in the top 15 of all time. Gloria Swanson gave her greatest performance as a delusional former silent screen star and William Holden is superb as the struggling screenwriter half her age who allows himself to be kept by her.
The Skechers Viper Court Smash is my #1 and the Tyrol Drive V is my 2nd favorite court shoe.
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· We often hear horror stories about bad customer service so it’s nice to share an example of good service. I recently reached out to the CEO of Tyrol Pickleball, a company that makes only pickleball shoes. I told Kevin Huckle that out of the 10 or so brands of pickleball shoes I’ve tried on my size 14 extra wide feet, the Tyrol Velocity V was the best quality but a bit too narrow. (Every men’s Tyrol has a 2E width.) Huckle replied that another Tyrol model, the Drive V, was made of different materials and had a roomier toe box. Huckle said he wanted to send me a complimentary pair. He did not know that I write about pickleball. I replied and told him I’m a writer and might review the free pair but nothing was promised. I’ve worn the Drive V for several play sessions and it does indeed have a wider feeling toe box and have become, along with my Skechers Viper Court Smash Relaxed Fit, one of the two court shoes I alternate between. There are two major differences: The Drive V costs $160, the Skechers only $75. The Tyrols are heavier, mine weigh 19.29 ounces; the Skechers weigh 15.70 ounces. The Tryol’s extra weight is apparently due to the hard materials used in the heel area, but they create a secure feeling around the ankle and heel. So it’s up to the player to decide if the apparent extra stability and weight are worth the higher price. If I had to rank them among the 10 pickleball shoes I have tried, the Skechers Viper Court Smash would be number 1 and the Tyrol Drive V number 2.
· Are you ready for some football? I am, but first the baseball playoffs.
Remember, if you buy any Hudef paddle that costs $169.99, use my discount code MS30 to knock down the price by 30%, to $119.99. Any less expensive paddle, the code is MS15, giving you 15% off.
